They eat leaves and the fruit of creosote bushes, browneyes, and desert ragweed. In captivity they are fed various greens, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. They obtain water from the plants they eat.
Where do Chuckwalla lizards live? Chuckwallas are strictly rock dwellers, found in the lava flows and rocky outcrops of the Great Basin, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
How often do you feed a Chuckwalla? Chuckwallas normally feed daily once they have basked for an hour or more to raise their body temperature minimally into the high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit. Are Chuckwalla lizards dangerous? But unlike the Gila, the Chuckwalla is not venomous and not dangerous to humans. It is very docile and runs to nearby rock piles when it feels threatened. Chuckwallas are not common pets, but captive-bred individuals generally make good pets when cared for properly.
Based on their size, equipment needs, and lifespan, these lizards can be considered intermediate-level pet reptiles. With good care, your chuckwalla may live up to 65 years! The chuckwalla is a large, bulky lizard reaching nearly 16 inches 40 cm with folds of loose skin on the sides of its body. The color varies between sexes and with the age of the individual.
Adult males have black heads and forelimbs; their trunks may be black, red, orange, gray, or yellow. The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world. These wild dragons typically weigh about pounds 70 kilograms , but the largest verified specimen reached a length of Chuckwalla are commonly used as ambassador animals in zoos. They are a hardy, generally docile and food-motivated lizard. As juveniles they may exhibit more active behavior during handling, but calm quickly with consistent handling.
With their high food motivation as well as alert and curious demeanor, they are a great candidate for training and have been taught to station and target. Their unique physiological adaptations for their environment give an excellent educational topic in addition to some implications for their care.
Overall a versatile, excellent species for consideration as an animal ambassador. Common chuckwallas can be found throughout the southwestern United States and into northern Mexico.
They are desert, scrubland lizards commonly found in rocky outcroppings or lava flows with low growing plants. They will alternate between basking on large rocks and resting in crevices or shallow holes to thermoregulate. Male lizards typically have a home range of around a football field 0.
Chuckwallas have a median lifespan of 15 years in the wild, but regularly will live beyond 25 in human care. The oldest recorded chuckwalla in human care was Chuckwalla represent an important prey species for many desert dwelling species, including raptors, medium to large carnivores and snakes.
Due to their herbivorous, foraging behavior, they also help regulate plant diversity in their habitat. Chuckwalla, Common Posted on 14 Nov by katiehutchin. Longevity Chuckwallas have a median lifespan of 15 years in the wild, but regularly will live beyond 25 in human care. Ecosystem Role: Chuckwalla represent an important prey species for many desert dwelling species, including raptors, medium to large carnivores and snakes.
Husbandry Information Housing Requirements Life Cycle Natural History Relevant Information Anecdotally, juveniles tend to be more active and need regular, consistent handling to be calm during programming. This species reaches sexual maturity after years and becomes more docile in hand. During egg laying, females may need increased depth of dig boxes to accommodate egg laying inches as well as increased calcium supplementation Activity levels vary seasonally and some facilities will change lighting schedules to match seasonal trends.
Males have been noted to be more active than females during breeding seasons. Habitat A desert-dweller, they get the majority of the water they need from the food they eat. A water dish is not necessary with proper diet and monitoring and may over-humidify the habitat. Chuckwallas wedge themselves into crevices between rocks in the wild and will often attempt to squeeze into small places in its habitat.
Ensure all furniture placed in habitat cannot fall, tip over or otherwise injure the animal. Having tight-fitting hides will also encourage their use. Chuckwallas like to climb.
Always check furniture to ensure animals cannot get too close to basking lights. Temperature recommendations: degrees ambient; to degrees basking; overnight A secondary basking zone if habitat size allows Provide heat retaining furniture ceramic hides, rocks under basking spots Multiple hides in a variety of temperature zones to allow for cooler thermoregulation. Chuckwallas have been known to stay on heated surfaces and can give themselves burns, so be mindful of any underbelly heat sources and ensure temperatures do not get to dangerous levels.
Provides humid areas that would be found in natural habitat and are beneficial to long term health, but need to be monitored and not offer if individual is over-hydrated or if an individual is prone to over-hydration Open mesh tops to habitats to increase ventilation to decrease humidity.
Chuckwallas can be prone to over-hydration that can lead to medical issues. Monitoring hydration levels is important for animal health.
Monitor individuals for any potential impaction concerns with pure sand and provide a feeding area that will not allow for excess sand ingestion. Newspaper can also be used, particularly for easy clean-up during quarantine or with sick individuals. Males should only be housed singly or with females as they will engage in territorial disputes.
They will consume leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits of the plants. They are attracted to bright colors and have increased interest in eating flowers and flowering plants in their native habitats. Provide heat for your lizard with a cluster of at least two halogen heat bulbs placed above the basking branch. Halogen bulbs are the best way to imitate the warmth of sunlight indoors, and considered to be a superior form of reptile heating by experts.
Do not use ceramic heat emitters CHEs , red bulbs, or blue bulbs, as these are not as effective. Heating should be turned off at night to allow for a nightly drop in temperature.
As long as you have a humid hideout or burrow available, they should be fine. Keep track of the humidity levels with a digital probe hygrometer placed in the middle of the terrarium.
Substrate aka bedding covers the floor of the terrarium and helps make the enclosure more attractive, but it also helps maintain healthy joints and provides something for your lizard to dig in which they love to do! Remove poop and urates daily, along with contaminated substrate. An empty enclosure makes for a bored chuckwalla, reducing its quality of life.
Since chuckwallas are a terrestrial species that prefers rocky terrain, at bare minimum you will need a flat basking stone and a couple of places for them to hide. Vegetables should be chopped into bite-sized pieces to help prevent choking.
Provide as much dietary variety as you can manage for balanced nutrition! Leafy greens for chuckwallas: collard greens, cactus pads, spring mix, arugula, kale, alfalfa, bok choy, carrot greens, spinach, dandelion greens, hibiscus greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, escarole, watercress, clover. Other vegetables for chuckwallas: broccoli, rapini, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potato, bell pepper, squash, carrots, okra, sprouts, pea pods, green beans, shredded carrots.
Fruit options for chuckwallas: berries, mango, cantaloupe, apple, banana, papaya. Edible flowers such as nasturtium and dandelion can also be offered. Insects can also be used as a rare treat.
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